No doubt this is not the first review of a pen that was produced over a span of thirty plus years. While I have a number of "51"s, This was my first Vacumatic "51". I was amazed that the filling mechanism still functioned, but it did. I flushed it with water and the water turned a turquoise blue. Afterward, I filled it with black Parker Quink and, as with every "51" I have ever had the pleasure to own, it wrote beautifully. The more I wrote, the bluer my writing became. This is unusual as black ink usually trumps any other ink, so I imagine that it had been sitting full of blue ink for a long time. It has a medium nib, and like many pens I own, just looking at it makes me want to write. It is black with a SS cap. The clip is the short gold blue diamond one. The imprint on the barrel indicates it was produced in the fourth quarter of 1946, making it a year younger than myself. I must confess that this "51" is withstanding the test of time somewhat better than its owner.

I am always amazed that something made fifty or sixty years ago can still look and function so well. I guess I am a cheap date. I bought a 22 year old red BMW K100RS motorcycle a few weeks ago with 55,000 miles on it and I could close my eyes while riding it and think it was a new bike, it functions so well, not unlike this "51". However, I don't recommend closing one's eyes while astride a two wheeled vehicular device. Like the Parker, looking at it makes me want to use it.

Whilst riding a motorbike with ones eyes shut can be hazardous to your well-being, using a "51" Vac with an unknown quantity for a diaphragm can be hazardous to you clothes. You know it is going to work, so getting it serviced could be a good idea, until then carrying it in a ziplock bag might be a good idea

Glad you like the pen though

Jim

Thanks for the info. I do tend to walk on the wild side and trust my fate to the winds. How I lived this long is somewhat of a mystery. I have spoiled a shirt or two in the past couple of decades of carrying fountain pens in my pocket.

I have never had a Vac "51" "go bad".
I have some that "were bad" when I got them, but I've never had one let go.

Fill it
Use it
Enjoy it

Great pens!

PS What? No pictures?

Funny, I just had a "51" vac let go while I was flushing it out this morning. Better this happened over the sink than in my pocket or piquadro. Now to decide who to send it to for restoration.

Enjoy your pen, I've learned the "51" is an amazing pen.
French

The one I had to have worked on I sent to Inkpen.

Joel does great work! Is fast and has very reasonable charges.

Every Fleabay Aero 51 I have gotten fills like a charm. My success rate on Vacs (about three times as many as my Aeros) is maybe one out of every three or so, depending on criterion (partial versus "full" fill, though the majority are flat busted fillers). The hot set up, IMO, is a Vac Lustraloy blue diamond gold clip cap on an Aero. I haven't made the switch (well, permanently) as of yet, but as I look at my working Aeros with Plain Jane caps, and then all my dead Vacs with their Luscious Lustraloy caps, well, the temptation ...

Edit: Remind me sometime to relate my tale of getting bigtime air on my old R80GS. Then again, maybe not ...